Stranded Knitting: Post 2 - Yarns Used and Fabric Created

Yarns Used…and Fabric Created

Criosanna swatch - front

Criosanna swatch - back

No matter what yarns are used, the fabric created by stranded knitting was, historically…and is at present…created as much for warmth, as it is for colorful patterning. This warmth can be attributed to the non-working yarn stranding across the back of the knitting, trapping air between the plies.

It follows, then, that the fabric created will be doubled in thickness…and that the thickness of the fabric is dependent on the thickness or weight of the yarn used. Additionally, as we think about the way it is created…with one strand looped into knitted stitches and another strand carried across the back…that the resulting fabric does not have as much “give” as fabric which is created with only loops made of a single yarn. Put another way…the result is slightly less stretchy. Which means, when choosing a size, there will be less negative ease to figure in.

But this style of knitting is primarily about color and color patterning. These patterns can be striking with the simplicity of two or three colors per garment.

Granted, the examples below are my designs, I use them because I do not have to worry about copyright, but you get the idea...

West at Heart Hat

Knights Banner Cowl

The patterns created with two colors per round can be equally beautiful with gradual changes in color resulting in what has been called a more “painterly” style.

Sandbar swatch

Blue Flame Cowl

Ninian swatch

The weight of yarns used can vary from the single ply, lightly processed, bulky weight Lopi yarns…to “sticky” fingering weight Shetland wool…to the silk yarn used in the oldest example of Fair Isle knitting in the Shetland Museum. Your gauge will obviously be different with different yarns…as will the thickness of the fabric created as mentioned earlier.

Due to the warmth created by a double thick fabric, most stranded work is created using fingering or DK weight yarn. However, as mentioned above, there are some exceptions. Some of these exception-ed and exceptional garments are created from intentional, knowledge-enhanced design decisions. The gorgeous worsted weight Scandinavian sweaters come to mind or the stunning Icelandic yoked patterns.

Some exceptions are blundered into with all of the knowledge (or lack thereof) of a newbie stranded knitter...namely me. :)

Expository tale: I once made a stranded cardigan vest (sleeveless cardi) for my father using several shades of worsted (Aran) weight wool...more than three colors per row at a fairly tight gauge/tension. I had seen a Bargello needlepoint pattern in some magazine...and for no other reason except I liked the pattern...decided it would be great for a sweater for Dad. When it was finally finished, I swear that thing would have deflected arrows! ...and was WAY too warm for the South Carolina climate where we were living. Consequently, my father loved it, but from afar...i.e. it never left his closet.

Dad's vest - front

Dad's vest - back

Moving on...

In a discussion of yarn selection, it must be said here that there are those who will insist that when recreating different stranded traditions, the knitter must use yarns inherent to that tradition. Granted, as a lover of history and long standing traditions, I can certainly understand this reasoning. However, some quite lovely stranded work has been created using non-traditional yarns.  Obviously, this style of knitting can technically be accomplished with any yarn. That being said, the sometimes complicated patterning of stranded knitting is best displayed worked in yarns which show off these motifs. Bottom line: “Hairy” novelty yarns should probably not be considered. Just saying.

So when selecting yarns, look for lines that have enough colors to suit your pattern needs.

Color is a wonderful glorious thing. It is one of the reasons we love stranded knitting, but original color selection and color substitution can be tricky. I have a couple of ideas about color selection, but since this series is primarily about technique, a discussion of color should probably be left for another post. (That’s two “other posts” now.)

Next Week: Gauge/Tension

Brandon Knitting Designs - website
Brandon Knitting Designs - Facebook
Ravelry - varianbrandon
Twitter - @vbknits
Pinterest - Varian Brandon
Instagram - varianbrandon

Stranded Knitting: Part 1 - Introduction and a Non-definitive Definition

This post starts a multi-part series on stranded knitting. You might be an expert on this form of knitting and would enjoy reading another perspective on some of the techniques. Perhaps you have always wanted to try stranded knitting and need a place to start.  I am hoping over the next few weeks to bring beginner and expert something that will answer some questions and maybe spark some gentle discussion on this wonderful, addictive form of knitting.

There is certainly no one way to knit any garment…and definitely no one way to knit stranded or Fair Isle designs. To put it another way, as long as the outcome is what you want, I feel there is no wrong way to knit anything.

That being said, as I have taught stranded/Fair Isle classes, several questions have come up about how I do certain things in the course of knitting these patterns. I am, by no means, an expert on the subject, but I do understand when learning something new, having a place to start (i.e. my developed methods) gives a student a foundation on which to develop his or her own methods…methods that work best for them.

I am also an avid reader of other knitters’ methods. This study helps me to reevaluate and refine the way I do things. I am hoping this “tome”…as it is apparently growing in length the more I get into the subject…will spark further gentle discussion and we can all learn from each other.

So...over the next installments of this blog, I will attempt to discuss several aspects of stranded knitting. Along the way, I will include how I handle the topic at hand...again, without any declarations of this being the right way to do things…just the way I do them.

For the sake of organization, here is a list of the topics I will be discussing..

Non-definitive definition

Yarns used and fabric created

Gauge or Tension (including gauge swatches0

Needles used

Casting on (including several two or more color edge treatments)

Knitting in the round (including knitting small circumferences)

Holding yarns

Tensioning

Yarn dominance

Reading charts

Adding new colors

Finishing old colors

Weaving yarns…to catch long floats

Weaving yarns…to add new colors and finish old colors

Weaving yarns while turning corners

Using markers

Creating stitches for sleeves and/or ribbing

Centering motifs

Casting off

Weaving in the ends

Blocking

These will break down roughly as one topic per week…depending how much I ramble on about each topic. I am sure there will be some weeks when two or more topics will be covered.

So all that being said, let’s get started.

Stranded Knitting (a non-definitive definition)

The broad term of knitting which employs more than one color is generally referred to as colorwork or color knitting…and includes working with stripes, slipped stitches, mosaic knitting, intarsia, and stranded knitting…to mention a few.

I guess you could technically throw forms of knitting and/or knitting techniques which can be working in a single color as well as with more than one color ...entrelac or cables come to mind. The possibilities of adding color to your knitting are endless, thus rendering the definition of “color knitting” a bit muddy.

I can hear the uproar even now as there are various strong opinions as the definitive definitions of such things. So I will abandon that line of discussion and venture off to the subject at hand….stranded knitting.

Simply put, stranded knitting is knitting which employs more than one color per round…where the unused yarn is stranded behind the working yarn. That being said, I should mention that most forms of stranded knitting use only two colors per round.

You will notice I have said “per round”. While stranded work can certainly be accomplished by knitting flat (knit one row, turn, purl one row), it is most often worked in the round. This way the patterning is always facing you. Believe me, purling some of the more complicated patterns is not fun.

But what you call the various forms of this type of colorwork, you may ask. If you look at the outcome of this type of knitting in terms of the patterns and colors, the broad heading of “stranded knitting” can be further broken down into subsections…roughly, but not totally, by geographic traditions…which include Fair Isle, Norwegian or Scandinavian, and other knitting traditions from the Baltic Circle. (Please realize that is list is by no means exclusive.)

Because of the popularity of Fair Isle designs, there has recently been a tendency to name all stranded knitting…and sometimes even all color knitting…“Fair Isle knitting”. This is definitely not a correct practice and does a disservice to both the knitting traditions of Fair Isle and the other styles of stranded knitting. But a discussion of the characteristics of the various stranded knitting traditions is perhaps a discussion best left for another post.

For this series, I will talk about some of the techniques that are currently used to achieve the wonderful colorful patterning of this style of knitting. Please understand, though, I will largely focus on Fair Isle and Shetland Fair Isle because that is my interest and where I first started down this path of knitting in color.

It is also important to remember that like most things, there are no absolutes and the phrase “generally, but not always” should be applied liberally.

Hey…I did say it was a non-definitive definition. 

If you have any questions or gentle comments, please feel free to post them below. I'd love to hear from you.

Next week: Yarns Used and Fabric Created

Brandon Knitting Designs - website
Brandon Knitting Designs - Facebook
Ravelry - varianbrandon
Twitter - @vbknits
Pinterest - Varian Brandon
Instagram - varianbrandon

On the horizon - stranded shawl and stranded knitting discussion

Preliminary photos and no pattern written up yet...this is not an official pattern release yet...but wanted you guys to see what is most recently off of the needles.

I'm thinking of calling it Saluda Sunrise....because this is what we see most mornings.

Also, starting Tuesday, May 12...and hopefully every Tuesday for a while, I will be posting Stranded Knitting: a discussion which will cover some of the aspects of stranded knitting. I hope you will join me and add any gentle comments or questions you may have.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Brandon Knitting Designs - website

Brandon Knitting Designs - Facebook
Ravelry - varianbrandon
Twitter - @vbknits
Pinterest - Varian Brandon
Instagram - varianbrandon

A View of Echoview...and Stranded at the LYS

I have been busy recently. Last week I visited a local mill....Echoview Fiber Mill over in Weaverville. I was there talking with the product sales and communications manager about several projects they have planned for the future.

 

Currently, Echo View is primarily a processing mill...you bring in your fleeces and they turn them in to batting or yarn. In addition, they also purchase fleeces to process for the mill store.

The day I was there, much of the inventory was out at a craft show...so the shelves looked a little bare. Lovely yarn...lovely shop...fabulous building, nonetheless.

What a wonderful morning!!

In addition to visiting Echo View Mill, I taught a beginning stranded class at Knitcality my LYS. I would love to show you all sorts of photos from the class...but we were having such a good time, that I forgot to take pictures. Second class is next Tuesday...I'll try to remember to pull the camera out.

In the meantime, I did manage to take this one right before class....

Note to self: hire a personal photographer...or better yet...stop talking and laughing long enough to take some pictures!  ;)

Brandon Knitting Designs - website
Brandon Knitting Designs - Facebook
Ravelry - varianbrandon
Twitter - @vbknits
Pinterest - Varian Brandon
Instagram - varianbrandon

New Shawl Pattern

...in progress. Body is almost finished...then on to the edges and borders!

No name yet. Maybe when it is finished, something will come to me. Any ideas?

Brandon Knitting Designs - website
Brandon Knitting Designs - Facebook
Ravelry - varianbrandon
Twitter - @vbknits
Pinterest - Varian Brandon
Instagram - varianbrandon

Behind the Scenes: Teggala Hat and Mitts

I know I have talked about some of this before...but here is a more in depth behind the scenes look at the Teggala Hat and Mitts set.

April 17, 2014...I received an email from Claudia of The Yarn Sisters, the American distributor of Zealana yarns (New Zealand). Claudia is one of four women who are related through their love of yarn (one Irish, two Americans, one from New Zealand). 

As I read her email that Thursday afternoon, I found that Zealana had earlier requested a small project using multiple colors for an event called Sample It! at The National Needle Arts Association (TNNA) summer trade show. 

A little FYI, the TNNA trade shows are where the yarn shop owners meet with the yarn companies to order for their shops. The "market" opens on Saturday morning and is order only...no "cash and carry". However, on Friday night, vendors offer a sample of their products at highly reduced prices at a frenzied event called "Sample It!".

Apparently, the striped hat designed for the event was not exactly what the Zealana rep had in mind. Claudia's email was a frantic plea for help.

You should know here that in 2014, TNNA was held in Indianapolis...on May 1-5.

Have you done the math? In just a bit over two weeks...yarn sent, pattern designed, sample made, pattern written up, pattern tech edited, photos taken, pattern printed, and yarn and pattern packaged for sale. Don't know where my head was...but I answered that I'd try to put something together for them.

The yarn arrived the next day. Three special skeins of Zealana Luxuria Air (40% of down from the brushtail possum fiber, combined with 40% cashmere and 20% mulberry silk), 10 grams/64 yards each...lace weight!  This yarn is truly scrumptious! Light as air (pun intended) and really warm. A total delight!

I'm guessing there must have been a rip in the time-space continuum, because we made it!

On Friday evening, I was standing with Claudia at Sample It! with Teggala on my head. We completely sold out of the kits which included the three skeins of yarn and the pattern all nicely packaged in a small hatbox-type container. 

[Cue: self-congratulatory pat on the back. Then...ominous foreshadowing music.]

Next installment...remember the skeins for the whirlwind hat pattern? Luxuria Air 10g each..right? Those were a limited edition. The real skeins for Air are 25g.

So Claudia asked if I would designs mitts to go with the hat. The idea was the two projects could be made with three 25g skeins. The design was pretty much done. I only needed to adapt it to mitts. Easy, right?

Off I went. Adapted the design and then on to knitting up the samples. Because I didn't want to make one mitt and run out of one color or other, I decided to knit both mitts at the same time. 

It was like knitting in molasses. It took forever to get those things done. The tangles had a mind of their own. Weeks...months...went by. I had the hat completely finished in 12 days...but this was dragging out for millennium. So embarrassed.

That's what I get for thinking I was super designer. I could design and knit samples "faster than a speeding bullet". 

Story of my life...the minute I get cocky....out goes that rug out from under me!

Anyway, I finally got them finished. Claudia was extremely gracious.

So there you have it. The Teggala hat kit can be found here. I haven't seen the mitts yet..but they are out there.

Until next time..

Brandon Knitting Designs - website
Brandon Knitting Designs - Facebook
Ravelry - varianbrandon
Twitter - @vbknits
Pinterest - Varian Brandon
Instagram - varianbrandon

New Rav group

I've gone and done it now...

Brand new designer group on Ravelry...

Designs by Varian Brandon

Please come join me.